Editorial: Common sense should solve problem of pigs as pets

September 16, 2003

You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear,” or so the saying goes. The cliché is intended to convey the idea that some things just can’t be done.
That apparently is the Texas city of Wink’s position when it comes to “Bacon,” a pot-bellied pig. And, it’s creating yet another controversy in the town of 919.
But, to cite another well-worn phrase, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” And, cities all across the nation have found one when it comes to pigs like “Bacon” … they’ve classified them as “pets.”
Sacramento, Calif., for instance, calls them “mini-pigs” and requires licenses after they’re 4 months old. Neutering of male pigs is required and they’re subject to the same leash law as dogs.
Pigs over 22 inches in height and weighing more than 150 pounds are prohibited. In other words, they become “hogs,” the “swine” that we suspect Wink’s 1943 ordinance really was meant for.
Now, we don’t really believe such ordinances are necessary, because logic and common sense should be enough to determine what is a proper household pet and what is not. But if a reasonable defining of what is a pet and what is a farm animal would put down such conflicts, then that would be better than petty pet squabbles.
It also should be noted that the little pigs in question are quite popular. There are thousands of them in American homes and hundreds of Internet sites about them, including one for the National Committees On Pot-Bellied Pigs
www.NCOPP.com
where we learned some of the information here.
We do want to make it clear, though, that we are not supporting the right to keep any pet. That is clearly a nuisance or creates a dangerous situation. Dogs, cats and even fish, we suppose, can create all sorts of health hazards to humans.
And those humans who exercise their right to keep household pets should voluntarily keep these things from happening. However, when they do not, only the government solution remains.
In other words, don’t bring home the “Bacon” (or any other domesticated animal) unless you’re prepared to face the music if you don’t take proper care of it. Good citizenship isn’t a cliché.